Resource Library

The Center on Standards and Assessment Implementation (CSAI) reviews a variety of resources, ranging from guidance documents, research papers, and policy briefs to tools and websites aimed at supporting state and local education agency leadership in making decisions about their standards, assessment programs, and accountability systems. Reviewed resources are added monthly.

In this article from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the authors say that the potential drop in reported state proficiency rates when the new CCSSM assessments are implemented will require adjusted expectations. The authors provide evidence from NAEP, TIMSS and NCLB to support...

This newly updated and final edition of Coming together to Raise Achievement provides consortia-approved summaries of the ongoing work of all the assessment consortia: comprehensive assessment (PARCC and Smarter Balanced), alternative assessment (DLM and NCSC), and English language proficiency...

This policy brief from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute presents advice on challenges to Common Core transitions. A research team from Fordham interviewed key policymakers and influentials in five states (Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York) to gather information on how the...

Article abstract: “Recent years have seen the convergence of two major policy streams in U.S. K–12 education: standards/accountability and teacher quality reforms. Work in these areas has led to the creation of multiple measures of teacher quality, including measures of their instructional...

This document, adopted by PARCC after extensive public feedback from K-12 educators, higher education faculty, parents, and community members, has been used to guide the development of items and tasks for the PARCC assessments in ELA/literacy and mathematics. It will also serve to guide the...

The California Department of Education’s online CCSS Systems Implementation Guide was developed to support local education agencies (LEAs) in developing their own local plan for CCSS implementation, based on local needs and resources. The online guide is organized into seven guiding strategies,...

Montana’s Common Core Standards Stages of Implementation Continuum is a one-page document that outlines the state’s 6 stages of implementation. The stages are grouped into three categories (explore, implement, and sustain), and each stage has short college and career ready descriptors.

The purpose of this document is to help districts determine where they are on the implementation continuum for Common Core State Standards. The tool is organized by 10 anchor statements, and users rate themselves on the anchor statements by the following levels: awareness, transition to...

Supporting research-based decision-making in standards and assessment

WestEd and CRESST, two national leaders in the standards and assessment field, continue their collaboration in providing high-quality research support and technical assistance to states as the Center on Standards and Assessment Implementation (CSAI).

This award is a grant under prime award #S283B050022A between the U.S. Department of Education and WestEd. The findings and opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education. This site and its contents copyright WestEd. All rights reserved.